


Vice Versa

by OtterlyInLove



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dimension Travel, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Homesickness, Mutant Powers, Romance, Some angst, i dont know who the reader will be with yet, you guys can help me decide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-05 21:05:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15179387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtterlyInLove/pseuds/OtterlyInLove
Summary: You woke up as someone that was not you, in a body that was not your own, and in a place you did not recognize.Saying you were confused would be an understatement.(or, the reader swaps bodies with an alternate reality version of herself, who is a member of the Purple Dragons)





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is not my first fanfic, but it is my first in Ao3 and my first published TMNT fic. I have been in the fandom for years though, but that doesn't mean I am an expert. If you think any characters are written strangely, or there was a good opportunity for a snarky one-liner I missed, please PLEASE tell me. I am unbeta'd. Any and all help, reviews, or kudos would be 100% appreciated!

The sunset could be seen from your spot perched on an old park bench. You were alone. Blissfully, irrevocably alone. No annoying brothers, no nagging parents, no threat of imminent doom from your creeping homework deadlines. Just you, the setting sun, and a chipmunk darting through grass by the ridge. 

Taking a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, you sighed deeply, a smile playing on pink lips. The tension left your shoulders, and you felt at peace with the world. You could sit here forever, in this moment. Locked away in time like a photograph. But you would need to return home soon. If you stayed out on your ‘quick jog’ too long, your brothers would worry. And when your brothers worried about you, they overreacted, and when they overreacted, they made embarrassingly drastic decisions like putting together a neighborhood search group to comb the forest for your unfortunate corpse, or a clue to your kidnapping. Yikes; no need to repeat that incident.

Standing, you took a moment to stretch out your muscles again. Though you were not the fittest of the fit, you did like to jog for not only the healthy benefits it brought, but also the benefit of being able to outrun devious younger or older siblings. Being the only girl in a family meant learning how to outrun balloons filled with paint or mud. Brandon and Lucas seemed to have a very unhealthy obsession with dumping mysterious liquids on the rest of the family, which caused at least three uproars a day. You were at least grateful it had only been mud and paint that had fallen on you, and not some of the more creative concoctions your older brothers had fallen victim to.

You liked to take your time walking back to the house, relishing the time to yourself and your thoughts. The trees were beautiful today, the leaves having switched from summer green to autumn yellows and reds. It was like the sunset had repainted the earth. Dirt crunched under your sneakers. You brushed some strands of hair out of your face, giving one last longing look to the path as you approached your home. You turned back to the house, but suddenly, there was no house.

There was nothing.

You were falling.

Falling.

Falling.

And then, you weren’t even falling anymore.

 

\---   
  


Coming to was not an easy task. Your mind seemed much more content drifting in and out of awareness while your body lay heavy and unwilling. You felt so strange, like you were floating in open water. The waves took you high and lowered you gently, rocking you to the tune of an oceanic lullaby. 

Slowly, sounds and feelings began to form names in your head. That was not the sound of seagulls, but car horns. That was not sand under your hands, but gravel and pavement. This was not a bed of calm water you lay on, but the hard ground. 

More feelings began to materialize through the haze. You ached. Bad. 

With a groan, your mouth cracked open. It was dry inside and your lips were parched. That seemed to be the extent of your motor skills; it was another battle to get your fingers twitching, then your feet, then your eyes. You were making progress- painful, slow progress- but progress nonetheless.

It felt like an eternity had passed before you were able to sit up. You moaned in agony; your head was pounding painfully and protesting every motion you made. Eyes groggily searching your surroundings, you felt fearful adrenaline course through your bloodstream. 

You had no idea where you were or how you got there. 

The alleyway was damp, a dumpster blocking you from being seen from the street. Above you was a rusty fire escape, the ladder broken in a heap next to you. Had you fallen and landed here? But that only brought up more questions. 

Not to mention your outfit. It was nothing you could imagine yourself actually wearing. Steel toed black boots, dirty green pants riddled with holes. Your top consisted of a black crop top tank, leaving your toned stomach on full display. There were many leather and metal bracelets on your wrists and you wore leather fingerless gloves. Oddest of them all, a violet dragon tattoo was wrapped around your left bicep. 

Whose clothes were these? Was this even you?

Searching your pockets for anything to identify yourself, you found a cracked smartphone shoved in your back pocket. It was uncharged, the screen a spiderweb of sharp glass. You grimaced at it, storing it back into your pocket. Might as well keep it in case it still could take a charge and provide some answers to your whereabouts. 

Your steps were wobbly and unsure as you leaned against the grimy brick wall for support. Oddly enough, your body was way more in shape than it had been last you remembered. Toned and muscled, you soon were confidently able to stride out of the ally and into the street, recovering quicker due to the good shape you were in. 

Finding where you were, and who you were, was top priority. Then you could worry about what exactly you were doing, climbing up a fire escape with a dragon tattoo suddenly inked irrevocably and permanently on your skin. Your brothers were going to kill you when they found out. 

The surroundings were of a big city, the opposite of your own quiet neighborhood. The buildings were close together and tall; in the distance you can see skyscrapers and more city lights blinking like stars.

You memorized the city streets and buildings surrounding your arrival area, just in case you ever needed to return here to discover more about this mysterious awakening. 

Approaching a shop window you finally got a glimpse of yourself. 

It was you, yes, you recognized the face, but the similarities stopped there. Your hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, a streak of dyed green running through the (h/c) strands. There was a studded choker on your neck, and dark eye makeup and blood red lipstick on your lips. There was a piercing on the right side of your nose, two sets of earrings on each ear, and an industrial bar on your left. You were shocked; what had happened?! It wasn't like these changes could have occurred overnight. The piercings were healed and the tattoo was even a little faded, like it had been there for a while. 

"This is freaky..." Your voice was shaky from shock, but at least you recognized it as your own. You raised a hand to your cheek, watching the gloved hand touch the soft skin. Your skin. This is totally unreal. 

"I need to find out what's happening. If I was taken, have amnesia or something crazy like that, and where I am." You mumbled to yourself while speed walking down the sidewalk. There was no one outside to ask for information, and no cars driving by. Did payphones even exist anymore? Not that you would have any money for one anyway.

"My brothers are definitely going to kill me..." It was chilly, and you cursed your wardrobe as you rubbed your arms to keep warm. You felt fairly exposed, only wearing the cropped tank and ripped pants that seemed to barely cover your legs. Something shifted in your boot. You stopped walking reaching in and pulling out the object.

A switchblade. 

You dropped it in shock. A knife? What would you have a knife for? Were there more? You patted the inside of your boots, pulling out another blade in the opposite shoe and a metal nail file in your other back pocket. 

Not wanting to know why these objects were on your person, you feared what could happen if you left them on the ground more and left you without a weapon. You rearmed yourself, feeling an uneasy pit form in your stomach. This situation seemed more dangerous than you had previously expected. Why had you kept weapons hidden in your shoes? Was it possible this city was dangerous, or that you were dangerous?

The walk through the streets was uneventful at least. This part of the city seemed mostly abandoned, or at least unpopular so late at night. You hoped the sun would rise soon, so you didn't feel so alone.

A group of men ran out from an alley you had passed about fifty feet back. You spun around and crouched down, reaching into your boot and pulling out a switchblade. 

"C'mon, we gotta get outta here!" One yelled to the others, scrambling to run as fast as he could down the street. He looked terrified. The other men darted after him, all looking disheveled like they had just gotten into a fight. The man spotted you.

"Hey, what're you doin standin around for?! Run! Them turtles are comin!" He roared out, waving his arms frantically. He had a dragon tattoo on his left arm as well. You spotted matching tattoos on the arms of the other men, alarm rising in you like bile. Were you in a gang?! 

The turtles must be rivals! A strange name to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies, but it did its job, and soon you were barreling after the men, sprinting on lithe legs. 

"Why are they chasing us?!" You yelled out. 

"Where were you, under a rock?! They saw us stealing from those creepy scientists!" One snapped out, and you noticed the large black duffel bag he had strapped to his back. 

From behind you, there was a slight shift in the wind. You whipped your head around, spotting nothing. There was no one chasing you. 

One of the men screamed, and by the time you glanced back, the group was in chaos. One of the five was passed out on the ground, the others scattering and peering up at the tops of the buildings. You also looked up, but there was nothing. 

"What are they, ninjas?!" You muttered, unsheathing your two switchblades and clutching them in your gloves. 

Something large dropped behind you. You froze, panting heavily. Against your better judgement, you turned. 

Behind you, in the shadows of a building, a large figure stood motionless. In its hands were two long swords that reflected light menacingly. 

"They caught up!" One of the tattooed men yelled. You looked away to the men running away, then back to the figure, but it was gone. 

You had had enough of these games. It was clear your 'associates' would be useless against the 'turtle' enemies. You needed to get away, and get off their bad side. 

Quickly, you caught up to the man with the duffel back and cut the strap with one sharp tug of your blade. It thudded to the dirt. "Yo, what's the big idea!?" He exclaimed, but you had already slid behind him and snatched up the bag. It was heavy, but you hoisted it into your arms and ran just fine. 

"Sorry random strangers, but I wanna live!" You heard them protest and some run after you, but you had a head start and skinny, fast legs. You were barely breaking a sweat.

The first alley you found, you slipped inside. There were garbage cans piled up against a wall, so you quickly kicked them down with a foot and kept running. The sounds of clanging metal and swearing assured you the improvised trap had worked. 

There was another fire escape. You dropped the heavy bag and tied the broken strap around your black belt, hoisting yourself up the ladder. The dangling bag was heavy and your arms were shaking by the time you reached the first landing, but at least the ladder hadn't broken this time, though it did shriek and wobble a bit under your weight. 

Dragging yourself onto the metal landing, you pulled the bag up and quickly untied it. Below you, the other gang members had reached the ladder. You kicked and pushed the old metal, hearing it creak and groan in protest. One man grabbed on and the ladder began to give, forcing him to jump off. 

"Fan out, get to that roof through another fire escape!" They darted away, and you picked up your mysterious cargo again and began legging it up the stairs to the roof. 

The building was only a four story, so after a few leg-burning flights you tossed up the bag and shimmied onto the roof.

It was deserted, but there wasn't a doubt in your mind you were being watched. With a deep breath, you began speaking. 

"Those guys'll be up here soon, I tried to slow them down, but I got this bag of stuff. I don't know what they stole or why, but I don't want anything to do with this. So if you take this from me, then don't pursue me, okay? I've had enough trouble today, and I don't need some gang fight or whatever any of this is added to my list." You stopped talking, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. It felt stupid to talk to nobody and expect an answer. 

"Alright, uhhhh…" You began backing up, "I'll be leaving now so...thanks?" That was that. You left the bag on the ground, moving to leave down the fire escape again. 

"Is this a trap? Because if it is, it’s a pretty lame trap.” A voice began speaking from the shadows. You held your breath, watching a figure materialize from the darkness. And then another, and another. Four shadowy figures, all watching you. 

“I mean, do I look dangerous? I have a pounding headache, not to mention I apparently slept on the ground in an alley. That cannot be good for my back. I’m also being chased by those airheads with the matching tattoos as well, so I would make the choice soon before we have another confrontation.” 

That got the figures moving. The shortest put away his weapons- you weren’t sure what they were, it was too dark- and moved to approach you. “Mikey!” He was yanked back by another figure, making the first yelp. 

“I promise I don’t bite.” You tossed your switchblades down in front of them, putting your hands up so they saw you weren’t going to pull a fast one on them. Heart pounding, you prayed to any sort of higher power that  _ they _ would not pull a fast one on  _ you _ .

“Alright,” The swordsman sheathed his weapons, “Donnie, go grab it. You can take it back to the lab for research.” The tallest shadow stepped forward, emerging from the gloom.

“Woah!” You gasped, “When they said turtles, they weren’t kidding!” You were in awe, jaw slack. The turtle gave you a weird look, grabbing the bag while keeping wary eyes on you. 

“How did you not know…?” Donnie still seemed to be concerned. You snapped your mouth shut, not wanting to appear rude by staring any longer. The other three turtles had all left the shadows as well, and four sets of eyes seemed to stare into you as they searched for answers.

You shrugged. “Honestly, I’m pretty lost. I woke up under a broken fire escape. I don’t know where I am, how I got here, when it is, or who I am. The last thing I remember was going home from an evening jog, and I  _ definitely _ didn’t have tattoos or piercings or dyed hair then.” 

“Dudes, does she have a..anm...ammonia!?” The orange banded turtle gasped in shock, his eyes full of worry. He seemed the youngest of the group. Donnie, who wore a purple mask, rolled his eyes.

“It’s amnesia, Mikey, and I’m not sure. If she’s being truthful, then possibly.” 

You bobbed your head in agreement, “Yes I promise I’m being truthful. I could even take a lie detector test if you like. By the way, where are we?” You looked around at all the tall buildings and distant skyscrapers, observing the concrete jungle you had found yourself in.

“Manhattan.” The swordsman turtle with a blue mask responded. He seemed to be calculating something, though what, you didn’t know. You were too busy internally freaking out that you had somehow ended up in New York City. 

“But...how?! I was at home just a little bit ago… it was sunset, and I was jogging, and I heard a noise so I turned and then… nothing.” Your voice trailed off in defeat, brows furrowed in confusion. This didn’t make sense. Nothing added up. 

“Hey girlie!” A familiar gruff voice snapped. You all turned to see the thugs had gotten onto the rooftop and were making their way over. “We want our stuff back!”

“Yeah, we stole it fair and square!”

“Too late, I already traded it for immunity,” you responded, crossing your arms over your chest. They blinked dumbly, growing mad. 

“To the turtle scum?! You traitor! You’re no Purple Dragon.” The tallest growled out through clenched teeth. He spit on the ground, cracking his knuckles.

“Yeah I don’t ever remember joining your little club so I guess that means my membership is invalid. Whoops.” With a shrug, you took two large steps backwards, putting more space between you and the gang members, leaving the turtles between you and the group. “Hey, psst, guys?” You whispered to the four next to you, “Could you help a sister out and get rid of those guys for me? I don’t know how to fight and frankly I don’t wanna find out right now.” 

They gave each other looks. Blue looked to you, to the other turtles, then to the approaching thugs, who seemed to have lost their earlier fear of the turtles. He came to a decision, reaching for his swords. 

“Leo, you can’t be thinking of helping this criminal, can you?” The red one exclaimed. He had a thick Brooklyn accent and clutched fancy looking knives in his knuckles. You pouted at his words; criminal? You?

“Yes, Raph, we will be helping her. She’s outnumbered, and from what Donnie saw them steal, she gave us valuable Kraang technology. We should repay our debt to her.” 

The red one, Raph, watched Mikey and Leo launch themselves into battle with the Purple Dragons, Donnie following as soon as he had safely set the bag down away from the fight. You shifted awkwardly, eyeing Raph from the corner of your eye. He had his arms crossed, scowling at the ground. 

Then, with a deep, long-suffering sigh, he gave you a scathing glare and joined his companions in beating the Dragons to a pulp. The fight was heavily one-sided. It was clear the turtles all had immense skill and abilities that the humans did not possess. Now that you were able to watch them fight, they did in fact resemble ninjas. The weapons, masks, and moves all reminded you of martial art movies.

“I really hope they don’t beat me up next…” You mutter, watching them scare off the last man. 

“That’s what you get for messin with the turtles!” Mikey did a little victory dance as they watched the last thug jump down a fire escape, his companions finally putting away their weapons. You stood by the duffel bag, arms crossed protectively over your chest. The turtles approached you again, Donnie picking up his bag and fiddling with it.

“So, what now?” You questioned, a hopeful note in your voice. These four were the only ones who seemed likely to give you any sort of assistance. You were sure not about to find any more Purple Dragons after tonight. To them, you were probably public enemy number one after handing over the goods they had tried so hard to steal.

“Well, you said you didn’t remember your name?” Leo questioned. You shook your head.

“My name is (y/n), last I recall. I don’t know if that’s my name here. I say that because I don’t recognize myself. My clothes, hair, makeup, it’s all new and not me. It wasn’t even this long before.” You tugged at the end of the ponytail, distastefully eying the lime green streak. 

“How do we know she’s telling the truth?” Raph glared at you with vivid green eyes. You shrunk slightly from his expression. He made you feel vulnerable. 

“We gotta trust her, man. Look how cute she is; you think she could hurt a fly?” Mikey came over to where you stood, making puppy dog eyes as he stared at Raph. He looked away, ignoring the question.

Donnie and Leo were conversing in hushed whispers, Raph occasionally rolling his eyes or grunting at their words. Mikey stayed with you, stepping around you in a circle a few times before he deemed you safe.

“Dudette (y/n), do you like pizza?” He smiled wide, “Pizza is my favorite food!”

You smirked, happy to have found common ground, “Yeah, I do. My older brother works at a pizza place. He does the tossy thing where you throw the dough up in the air and spin it.” You mimed throwing a pizza above your head, much to Mikey’s delight. He clapped at your display, and you bowed. 

“Do you like video games? Crognard? Ice cream? How about skateboarding?” Mikey assaulted you with question after question, which began to swirl and muddle together in your mind. It was hard to focus with your head hurting so badly, but you tried your best. 

“Mikey, stop bothering her.” Leo ordered. Mikey whined and dragged his feet but complied the leaderly turtle’s words. You watched him walk away sadly. He was the nicest one out of all of them, the only one who wanted to have a normal conversation. Raph still looked like he was trying to set you on fire with his eyes, and Donnie and Leo were too focused on safety and the duffel bag. It was understandable but still disheartening.

“We would like to help you.” Leo began. You beamed at them, your hopes soaring. You knew they were the good guys!   


He raised a green finger, “But we still don’t trust you. For all we know, you could be a spy. Until we know for certain where your loyalties lie, we need to make sure you won’t betray us.” That was reasonable. You wouldn’t trust this you right off the bat either. 

“What do you want me to do?”

“First, hand over your phone.” Leo accepted your phone when you handed it to him. Raph snorted at the state of it. You smiled sheepishly; it did look pretty miserable.

“Next, we’re going to have to tie your wrists together,” Leo looked to Mikey, who pulled some white cloth bandages out of his belt. 

“Sorry dudette. Hopefully we can get these off soon.” He gently, but tightly, wrapped your wrists together. You allowed him to, putting your trust in the turtles. It wasn’t like you had anything to lose. 

Donnie handed the bag over to Raph, who took it without complaint, and he instructed you to climb onto his shell and he would use his bo staff to keep you from falling. You gently eased your arms over his neck, slightly surprised at how gentle with you. They all really were quite kind, just wary. 

When they began to run across the rooftops, you gasped in surprise and squished yourself as close to Donnie as you could. He chuckled quietly, “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you.”

Soaring above the city with the wind in your face, every leap over an alleyway or street felt like flying. The turtles seemed to be comfortable travelling in this fashion, leaving you to believe they got around the city this way. It was amazing. 

Then, they dropped down, leaping into another alley. You seemed to be seeing a lot of the back parts of Manhattan rather than the busy stereotypical night life you had expected from the city. 

Leo moved a manhole cover, and Mikey leapt in without hesitation, Raph tossing the bag down to him then following. Donnie set you gently onto your feet. You thanked him, and he smiled kindly.

“You’re going to have to jump.” Leo warned. You gulped. 

Well, if this you could be tough enough to get tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, and join a gang, then you certainly could trust a couple of human sized turtles and jump feet first into the sewers of New York City. 

You held your breath, leaping into the darkness. Air rushed loudly past, and you resisted the urge to flail or try and grab on to something. Strong arms caught you around the waist before you could reach the ground.

You opened your eyes, Raph’s green ones mere centimeters away from your own. He smirked, setting you down on you own feet and unwinding his arms from around you. 

Donnie barely made a sound as he dropped in next to you, then Leo. The journey continued, this time underneath the city rather than above it. You were surprised when the walk transitioned into old subway tunnels. Just where were you going?

Mikey was running ahead of the group. He was the hyperactive sort, much like Lucas or Brandon were the immature ones in your family. You wondered what your brothers would think of the situation you had found yourself in. Brandon and Lucas would be jealous that you met giant turtles and got to journey through the sewers. Daniel would probably wrinkle his nose at the thought of raw sewage, while Blain and Damian would be fretting over you, searching for injuries and chastising you for getting so many piercings and a tattoo. The eldest, Adam, would be your only ally, shooing away the others and putting a warm hand on your shoulder, promising everything would be alright.

You really missed your brothers.

Soon, Mikey ran further ahead, disappearing to the right of the tunnel. Upon closer inspection, you saw there was an opening, which appeared to be an old subway station. Amazing! They must have turned it into a home! 

“Welcome to the Liar.” Leo announced, and you smiled as you took everything in. It was actually quite nice down here, and very spacious. 

“We need to take you to our sensei, Master Splinter now. He will want to talk to you and know why we have brought you here.” Leo began to lead you away from the others. Donnie was rushing off with the duffel, Raph staring after you for a second then turning away to do his own thing anyway, which meant you and Leo were alone when you entered a room with a japanese style sliding door. 

Inside was a beautiful dojo, with tatami mats, weapons lining a wall, and a proud oak tree sprouting up from the concrete. In the center of the room, a human sized rat in a robe sat meditating. You quickly hid your shock, not wanting to appear rude. 

“Master Splinter.” Leo bowed respectfully, and you hesitated, then followed suit. 

“Leonardo, my son,” Splinter spoke with authority and wisdom. You immediately grew curious about who exactly these turtles and rat were. “You have brought another human. And this one is a prisoner?”

Leo flinched slightly at the accusation. You looked up at the rat, who was staring directly at you with intelligent eyes. “Master Splinter, we wanted to be sure she would not be a threat before we brought her here. She is a Purple Dragon, but from what she has told us, we believe she has amnesia. I wanted to be certain we took precautions before escorting her here in case she was lying.” 

Master Splinter rose, and you and Leo straightened. He raised a paw to you, grasping your hands in its warmth, “While I am proud of your desire to be safe, this will not be necessary.” With a single tug, the wraps fell away. You rubbed your wrists gratefully. 

“Please Leonardo, leave us. I would like to speak to her alone.”

“Hai, sensei.” Leo bowed, giving you one last look before he turned and left you. 

“Come with me. Do you like tea?” Master Splinter turned and began walking. You followed after, growing more and more confused. He wanted to make you tea? 

“Ah, sure.” You replied, still eyeing him warily. He led you into a side room off of the dojo that also had a sliding paper door. You realized this must be his bedroom. It was beautiful, simple yet elegant, with japanese style furniture and incense burning low. There was a bonsai on a shelf, an old television, and a shrine with an old picture of a family of three in the center. 

He sat down at a mat, motioning for you to sit across from him. You kneeled, and he began to pour some hot tea into a small cup for you. It smelled herbal. You reached forward and took the cup, blowing on it slightly before taking a small sip. He did the same, eyes closed in content. 

After a few minutes of sitting with the old rat, you had begun to relax. Master Splinter set his cup down, folding his paws in his lap. You set your cup down as well, meeting his amber eyes with your own (e/c). 

“Now we may talk.”    
  



	2. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for continuing to read my train wreck! Here, we learn more about the background of the reader's life. I don't usually like adding a lot of background to make it more of an insert, but the brothers are necessary components later in the story. PLOT ADVANCERS you could say. I don't want to reveal more because it's an arc for a bit later on.   
> I wanted to get this out sooner, but sometimes life just decides to slap you in the face with a big smelly fish and all you can do is deal with the fish slapping, accept that you have been slapped with a fish, and move on ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Splinter sat perfectly still, a skill that must have been honed from years of meditation practice. Not even his ears twitched. You felt compelled to remain stonelike as well, but under his intense gaze, you soon averted your gaze to your lap and began wringing your hands. 

“What is your name?” He began. 

“(y/n)(l/n).”

“And your age?”

“16.”

“What did you last remember?”

“Walking home from a jog at sunset.”

“And what was the date?”

You told him the date. He sat back and gazed upwards past you, a paw stroking his beard.

“What did you look like?”

“The same, except no piercings, or dark makeup, or tattoos, or hair streaks. I wasn’t as fit either, and my hair was a bit shorter. I also was wearing a t-shirt, sneakers, and sweatpants as well.” 

He paused to refill your cup. The smell made you sleepy as you raised the porcelain to your lips, leaving a faint red stain when you pulled away from your lipstick.

“Miss (y/n), what is your family like?” 

This confused you, as it didn’t seem to have anything to do with if you were being truthful or not. Regardless, you answered him. “I have a mom and a dad, and six brothers. I’m the third youngest and the only girl in my family, which has its pros and cons. The two youngest are twins, Brandon and Lucas, who are 13. They’re the troublemakers.” He smiled at this, probably thinking of Mikey. You continued, “Then there’s me, Daniel who is 17, then the twins Blain and Damian are 19. Finally Adam is the oldest at 20. He is saving up money to go to college, and Blain and Damian probably will as well.”

“I thought I had my hands full with four.” Splinter murmured in awe. You giggled, understanding that your parents had it hard but were very capable and loving. “How do you get along with your family?”

“I love them. My brothers can be knuckleheads, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. Having six brothers can be hard, but it made me tough.” There were plenty of broken bones, temper tantrums, and hurt feelings in such a large rambunctious family, though it balanced out well with the amazing kindness and love everyone had for each other. You looked out for your brothers, and in return you had six determined bodyguards, ready to protect you at a moment’s notice. 

“How did you come to New York City?” He sipped some tea, ears flattening a bit in contentment as steam curled around his furred face. 

“Well, I woke up on the ground of an alleyway. There was a broken fire escape ladder next to me, so I think I was trying to climb up but it gave way and I hit my head? It’s a little strange thinking of myself doing that since I don’t remember any of it.” You wondered just what was happening with the fire escape. The other Purple Dragons recognized you as a member, meaning you might have been working with the group when you had fallen, or maybe they just saw the tattoo and not you, immediately seeing you were one of them.  
“I think this is enough talking for now, we may continue tomorrow.” Splinter stood, and you quickly did the same, following him as he left the room. 

You both reentered the dojo, then continued walking out into the main living area of the Lair. You were at least happy he hadn’t taken one of those sharp looking weapons off the wall and decided to slice you open to get rid of you. He might walk with a cane, but there was more to Splinter than you had seen so far. Hopefully this meant he trusted you.

The four turtles, who had been lounging on the couch watching some old cartoon, all sprang to their feet when the dojo door slid open. They scrambled over the cushions and lined up in front of Splinter. “My sons,” He began, “(y/n) and I have talked. I have decided she will be safe here for tonight.”

Mikey cheered loudly, and you smiled while his brothers shushed him. 

Master Splinter waited for the noise to die down before he began again. “I would like Miss O’Neil to come and analyze her tomorrow. I believe her psychic abilities extend far enough to ensure the truthfulness of a person. Donatello, would you contact her?” 

Donnie- Donatello? Wasn’t he some painter?- nodded rapidly, dashing away mumbling about texting her. 

“Michelangelo, make a bed for our guest on the couch.” Mikey- another painter; is there a trend here?- grinned wide, running off to collect blankets and pillows. Master Splinter seemed to think for a moment, then looked to his two remaining sons. “We will continue talking in the dojo when Donatello and Michelangelo have completed their tasks. In the meantime, why not show our guest around the Lair?” 

He swept away, closing the door to the dojo behind him. You blinked at Leo and Raph, one giving you a kind look and the other scowling at the dojo wall.

“Well, we have the dojo there, where we train. Over here is the kitchen.” They led you into the small but practical kitchen. 

“Mikey’s the one who cooks.” Raph added. You were surprised yet elated he had actually added a constructive comment. Maybe he was getting used to you? Or at least had decided that being annoyed was too much work. 

Next came Donnie’s lab, and the garage. You made sure not to touch anything, though a few shiny experiments were quite tempting. Then came the bathroom, and the hallway with the bedrooms. 

“This is the pinball machine.” Raph smacked the top of the arcade game. You ‘ooed’ appropriately, and he seemed pleased by your reaction. 

“How did you get a pinball machine down here?” 

Leo sighed, “You would be surprised the things people throw away. Donnie is our resident scientist, doctor, and mechanic, so he fixes things up from the junkyard that we can reuse.” 

“That’s admirable.” You were being honest; how did one turtle teen find the time to take up all those skills and excel at them? He was surely some genius. 

Raph snorted, “Yeah, if being an egghead is admirable.” Leo rolled his eyes.

“Don’t call Don an egghead if you don’t like being called a hothead.” 

“I’m not a hothead!” 

The brotherly antics brought a large smile to your face. This was just like being at home with all your brothers. The arguing, banter, underlying threats….just like home. 

“Can we move on yet Raph, or are you going to keep acting like a child?” Leo questioned with a slightly sassy hand on his hip. Raph fumed. 

“Yes, fearless leader, we  _ can _ move on. Are there any other commands that I, your humble servant, can fulfil?” He mock-bowed dramatically, and you hid your smile behind a hand, not wanting to embarrass Leo or give Raph the satisfaction that you found him funny. 

Leo rolled his eyes and sweeped a leg up to unbalance Raph as he walked by. The red-masked turtle wobbled a bit before righting himself without falling. He growled low in his throat, chasing after Leo. You followed behind at a more leisurely pace.

Donnie emerged from wherever he ninja-disappeared to, holding a turtle shell phone in his hands. “Oh! You’re giving her a tour? That’s good. April said her and Casey would stop by tomorrow. She seemed really excited to meet you.” He smiled encouragingly, a gesture you quickly returned. 

“Guys!” Mikey shouted from the couch. You turned to see he had constructed some sort of large nest of blankets, pillows, and several stuffed animals that you were almost positive were his due to his childish personality. “Ta da!” He threw his hands up in the air, grinning wide from his spot in the pile.

“Thank you Mikey,” You and the other turtles made your way over to the makeshift bed, Mikey jumping out of it and excitedly displaying his creation to you. 

“Well, we should probably all go to sleep now, since it was already quite late when we returned from patrol. Is there anything else you need?” Leo tipped his head slightly at you, looking like he would jump to help you with anything you needed. 

“Oh no, I’m alright. You guys have already done enough for me.” You waved off any further protests, sitting in your cushion-y nest with a  _ whump _ . 

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow, okay? I’m really tired.” It wasn’t a lie, but you also didn’t want them to keep worrying over you like a child. Or, maybe they were just being overly cautious? As kind as they were being, you didn’t know them well enough yet to know if they were actually trying to help you, or saw your current outward appearance and nothing else. 

Leo and Donnie wished you a goodnight, Raph grunting something similar. They walked off in the direction of their rooms, but you saw Donnie give his lab several longing looks. He was probably thinking about that duffel bag, and you wouldn’t be surprised if you saw him sneaking in there later.

“Dudette, if you need anything, my room is that one ok?” Mikey pointed out the general direction of where his bedroom was, slowly walking backwards. You nodded and thanked him, watching as he finally turned and ran off. 

Flopping backwards into your pile, you sighed. As much as you wanted to think about the day and what these events meant for you, exhaustion weighed you down. 

Tomorrow...you yawned...you would worry about it tomorrow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again! Feel free to leave comments, I love love love comments so much, and I want readers to feel connected to the story as well. It is about you, after all :3 Hopefully the next one will be longer as well!


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